Lid having a reclosable spout

ABSTRACT

A lid having a reclosable spout for providing a reclosable drink-through opening therewithin, for use with disposable drinking cups. The lid comprises a reclosable tab, an integral hinge and a sealing edge wherein the reclosable tab may be moved about the integral hinge to an open position by pulling the reclosable tab away from the sealing edge; or to a closed position by pushing the reclosable tab against the sealing edge. The reclosable tab, in its open position, defines a drink-through opening in the lid through which a user can consume a beverage from the drinking-cup without removing the lid. In its closed position, the reclosable tab is adapted to close the drink-through opening in a leak-resistant manner. The reclosable spout of the present invention can be employed on a variety of lids and containers for facilitating drinking, dispensing, or pouring therefrom.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications No.60/727,140, filed Oct. 14, 2005, which is herein incorporated in itsentirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a reclosable spout that can beemployed on a variety of lids, closures and containers for facilitatingdrinking, dispensing, or pouring therefrom. More particularly, thisinvention in one embodiment relates to a drinking-cup lid having areclosable spout for providing a reclosable drink-through opening withinthe lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disposable drinking cups and lids are well known in the art and findwide-spread use in restaurants, diners, cafeterias and households.Almost all lids designed for use with drinking cups have a provision fora drink-through opening which allows a user to consume the beveragecontained in the drinking cup without removing the lid therefrom. Adrink-through opening is particularly desirable while consuming hotbeverages such as tea or coffee.

Categorically, a general feature on most common lid designs is adrink-through opening created by tearing away a small section of the lidin the form of a tab or flap. The torn flap section is permanentlysevered from the cup to reveal the drink-through opening in somedesigns; while in other designs, the torn flap section is folded backand secured within a tab-retaining or locking feature provided on thesurface of the lid. Numerous prior teachings describe lids featuring aremovable and/or a tear-back and/or a fold-back type tab for creating adrink-through opening in the lid, including for instance U.S. Pat. Nos.4,615,459; 4,753,365; 5,392,949; 5,490,609; 5,613,619; 5,699,927;5,839,601; 5,947,323; 6,089,397; and 6,260,727.

Another category of lid designs features a drink-through opening bymerely providing a small unobstructed aperture or hole within the lid sothat the customer does not have to tear-off, remove, fold or lockanything to access the beverage.

Still another lid design, sold by Dart Container Corporation, comprisesa two-piece lid assembly wherein the main lid body includes a secondarypiece assembled thereto. The secondary piece has a closure tab which isadapted to cover and seal the drink-through opening provided in the mainlid body.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,490 teaches yet another lid design which includes anaperture and a flexible tab having a closure thereon that is connectedto the main body of the lid; the closure can be bent over the main bodyof the lid and engage with the aperture so as to seal it.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,874,649; 6,889,860 and 6,929,143 teach a projecting tabthat can be partially separated from the rest of the lid along a faultline and pivoted about a hinge and folded back.

One of the disadvantages of prior lids equipped with a tear-back flap isthat they require the user to tear off a section of the lid, which isnot always a pleasant activity for the user as oftentimes the tear-backflap does not always tear back along the intended fault lines and doesrequire certain skill and precision on the part of the user. Inaddition, tearing off the flap section requires a user to use both ofhis/her hands, typically by pushing downwardly on the lidded cup withone hand, while lifting and pulling the flap section to tear it alongthe designated fault lines with the other hand. As frequently happens,the downwardly push on the lidded cup results in a small quantity of thebeverage contained in the cup to escape through the vent-hole in thelid, and overflow onto the top of the lid. In such instances, thebeverage overflow onto the lid top has to be cleaned-up, prior to use,for preventing further spills. Another disadvantage of tear-back flaptype lid configurations is that they are either not reclosable or onlypartially reclosable and therefore not sufficiently leak resistant afterthe tear-back flap has been deployed.

Other lid designs wherein the aperture is capable of being blocked witha press-fit tab or closure attached to a flexible tab are oftendifficult to operate and again may require considerable effort on thepart of the user.

Generally speaking, in prior lid designs, the drink-through openingis—either not reclosable; or partially reclosable; or reclosable onlywith difficulty; or requires a two-piece assembly. Thus, there is a needfor a lid that—overcomes the disadvantages associated with the tear-backflap or tab type lid designs; does not require any tearing-off oflid-sections; features a reclosable drink-through opening that can beoperated with ease without requiring considerable effort, skill orprecision on the part of the user; has a unitary or single-piecestructure; and offers improved leak-resistance. These needs are furtheraccentuated by today's busy life style and user-demands for carrying,take-out and use convenience. These and other needs as shall hereinafterappear are met by the lid of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantagesof prior lids and to provide a lid which obviates the need for having atear-back flap or tab and does not require subjecting the lid to any“tearing along a fault line.”

Still another aspect of the invention is to obviate any flap-retainingfeatures that are usually provided in lids having tear-back flaps anddoes not require “tucking away the torn-off flap into a retainingfeature on the lid”.

Accordingly, it is an embodiment of the present invention to provide alid having a reclosable drink-through opening that can be opened fordrinking therethrough without removing the lid from the cup; or closedfor preventing spills, splashes or leaks.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a lid having areclosable spout which is adapted for forming a drink-through opening inits open position and closing off the drink-through opening in itsclosed position.

Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a lid witha reclosable spout that is integral to the lid and is not a separatepiece or assembly.

Yet another feature of the invention is to provide a lid with a novelreclosable spout that can be comfortably operated or opened and closedwith one hand.

One embodiment of the present invention is to provide a drinking-cup lidhaving a reclosable tab which can be alternated between an open positionand a closed position by a user; wherein the reclosable tab in its openposition is adapted for creating a drink-through opening in the lid, andin its closed position is adapted for closing the drink-through opening.

Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide adrinking-cup lid having a reclosable tab and an integral hinge; whereinthe reclosable tab is adapted for alternating between an open positionand a closed position about the integral hinge; and wherein thereclosable tab in its open position is adapted for creating adrink-through opening in the lid, and in its closed position is adaptedfor closing the drink-through opening.

Yet another feature according to one of the embodiments of the presentinvention is to provide an injection-molded polypropylene lid thatfeatures a reclosable spout that is adapted for forming a drink-throughopening in its open position and closing the drink-through opening inits closed position.

To achieve the foregoing and other embodiments of the invention, adrinking-cup lid having a reclosable tab, an integral hinge and asealing edge is provided. The reclosable tab can be moved about theintegral hinge to an open position by pulling the removable tab awayfrom the sealing edge; or to a closed position by pushing the reclosabletab against the sealing edge. The reclosable tab, in its open position,is adapted to define a drink-through opening in the lid through which auser can consume a beverage from the drinking-cup without removing thelid. In its closed position, the reclosable tab is adapted to close thedrink-through opening in a leak-resistant manner.

Still other embodiment, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from thefollowing detailed description, wherein we have shown and described onlya few embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration. Thefeatures and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, inparticular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent toone of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification,and examples of claims. As will also be realized, the invention iscapable of other and different embodiments, and its several details arecapable of modifications in various obvious respects, all withoutdeparting from the invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that thelanguage used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope ofthe inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood upon reading the followingDetailed Description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of lid 10 and drinking cup 20 showingreclosable tab 80 in its open position according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of lid 10 and drinking cup 20 throughreclosable tab 80 shown in its open position according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view of lid 10 through reclosable tab 80shown in its open position according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of lid 10 showing reclosable tab 80 in its openposition according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of lid 10 and drinking cup 20 showingreclosable tab 80 in its closed position according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway perspective view of the lid 10 through reclosabletab 80 shown in its closed position according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of lid 10 showing reclosable tab 80 in its closedposition according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a plasticlid with an integral reclosable tab which can be alternated to an openposition or a closed position by a user for respectively providing adrink-through opening or closing off the drink-through opening. Aparticular advantage of the lid made according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is the ability to create a drink-through opening bypulling-out the reclosable tab; and closing off the drink-throughopening by pushing-in the reclosable tab against a sealing edge or adepending surface. The reclosable tab of the present invention allows auser to create a drink-through opening in the lid, without requiring theuser to tear-off a tab away from the body of the lid and withoutrequiring the tab to be folded-back or locked into a recessed areawithin the lid.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that terms such as“reclosable tab”; “reclosable flap”; “integral reclosable tab”;“reclosable spout”; “sealable spout”; are used interchangeably todescribe the novel means of the present invention to effect a“reclosable drink-through opening”. It will be also recognized that thedrink-through opening in the lid of the present invention is in factcreated by the “reclosable tab” and is oftentimes referred to as“reclosable drink-through opening”.

The present invention is generally directed towards a lid that engageswith a drinking cup and is leak resistant. The lid of the presentinvention finds particular application in disposable drinking cupstypically used for holding cold and hot beverages which are generallyconstructed from paper, plastic or foam materials. The followingdescription, of one or more embodiments, in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings is offered as illustrative of the invention butnot restrictive of the scope of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, there is shown a lid 10 according to oneembodiment of the present invention wherein like reference numeralsrepresent like parts. Lid 10 is adapted to rest and fit onto a drinkingcup 20 and engage with the cup lip 22 as particularly shown in FIG. 2.Lid 10 has an outer side 30 and an underside 40. The outer side 30 oflid 10 is intended to be on the outside when lid 10 is placed ondrinking cup 20 in the intended manner shown typically in FIGS. 1 and 2.Underside 40 of lid 10 is the side that faces the cup 20 when lid 10 isplaced on the cup 20 in the intended manner, again typically shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. Lid 10 comprises an outer peripheral portion 50, aninterim annular portion 60 lying above outer peripheral portion 50, anda central body portion 70.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, outer peripheral portion 50 of lid 10 isadapted for engaging with drinking cup 20, and underside 40 has anunderside peripheral channel 54 which typically has a C-shaped orU-shaped cross-section and which is adapted to grip and receive the cuplip 22 therein, and thereby form a leak-tight seal between therespective perimeters of lid 10 and drinking cup 20. Cup lip 22 maycomprise a rolled-lip configuration as shown in FIG. 2. Alternately, cuplip 22 may be in the form of a bead or a turned-down lip or othersimilar configuration as is well know to those skilled in the art.

Outer peripheral portion 50 of lid 10 also has a peripheral skirt 52which extends downwardly from the underside peripheral channel 54 andflares outwardly therefrom. Peripheral skirt 52 facilitates a goodlid-fit by centering and guiding cup lip 22 within peripheral channel 54when lid 10 is pushed downwardly against cup lip 22.

Interim annular portion 60 comprises an outer sidewall 61, a top wall 62and an inner sidewall 63. Underside peripheral channel 54 is connectedto outer sidewall 61 and defines a peripheral recess 56 therebetween;peripheral recess 56 is disposed on the outer side 30 of lid 10. Interimannular portion 60 extends upwardly from the inward edge of peripheralrecess 56 along outer sidewall 61, including a top wall portion 62 aboutthe frontal section 65, and slopes downwardly along inner sidewall 63and circumscribes central body portion 70 of lid 10. Outer sidewall 61,top wall 62 and inner sidewall 63 cooperate to form a raised frontalsection 65 and ramp down on either side of the raised frontal section 65to form a relatively shallow section 67.

According to one embodiment, raised frontal section 65 includes areclosable tab 80. Reclosable tab 80 has a tab front wall 82 and anarcuate hinge 81 which integrally connects tab front wall 82 to theouter sidewall 61. Tab front wall 82 of reclosable tab 80 has an arcuatetab end 83. Reclosable tab 80 can be alternated between an open positionand a closed position by respectively pulling or pushing on tab frontwall 82 proximate to arcuate tab end 83 and thereby causing tab frontwall 82 to flex about arcuate hinge 81. Arcuate hinge 81 is shown tohave a general parabolic shape although other curved profiles are withinthe scope of the invention.

In FIGS. 1 through 4, reclosable tab 80 is shown in its open position;and, in FIGS. 5 through 7, reclosable tab 80 is shown in its closedposition. In the embodiment shown herein, reclosable tab 80 is integralto the lid and arcuate hinge 81 integrally connects tab front wall 82 tothe outer side wall 61. In an embodiment of the invention, the lid 20 isconstructed of suitable materials that inherently have a living hingeproperty. It will be realized that tab front wall 82 is characterized bybeing flexible enough to allow a user to open and close tab 80 withrelative ease. Although various hinge constructions can be utilized toeffectively achieve the objects of the invention, the integral hingeconstruction may comprise a thin membrane junction between the lid bodyand the reclosable tab which imparts certain flex characteristics to thereclosable tab thereby allowing its movement about the integral hinge.

Raised frontal section 65 also includes a sealing edge 64 provided inthe top wall 62. In the depicted embodiment, sealing edge 64 has anarcuate periphery which is curved inwardly towards the center of lid 10and is of opposite curvature compared to the outer sidewall 61; in otherwords sealing edge 64 is concave while outer sidewall 61 is convex.Other sealing configurations and profiles are within the scope of theinvention.

In the open position of reclosable tab 80, tab front wall 82 flaresoutwardly (or convexly) and is spaced away from sealing edge 64 therebycreating a drink-through opening 90 defined by the ‘eye-shaped’ gapbetween sealing edge 64 and tab front wall 82 as shown in FIGS. 1through 4. Drink-through opening 90 is defined by a stationary or fixedside provided by sealing edge 64 and a reclosable or adjustable boundaryprovided by the tab front wall 82 in its convex (or open) position.Drink-through opening 90 allows a user to drink therethrough, whereinthe shape and size of the opening 90 depends upon the dimensions of thetab 80.

Drink-through opening 90 can be closed by pushing tab front wall 82towards sealing edge 64. In the closed position of reclosable tab 80,tab front wall 82 curves inwardly (or concavely) and seals againstsealing edge 64 as best shown in FIG. 6. It will be realized by those ofordinary skill that the sealing edge surface may be further modified toinclude a smooth bead or depending skirt for facilitating sealing.Arcuate tab end 83 projects slightly above sealing edge 64 as shown inFIG. 6, for allowing accessibility thereto so that a user cancomfortably pull tab front wall 82 and reopen reclosable tab 80. Sealingedge 64 is adapted to provide a sealing or depending surface againstwhich reclosable tab 80 can be pushed closed. In its closed positionreclosable tab 80 closes drink-through opening 90 as shown in FIGS. 5through 7.

The raised frontal section 65 and reclosable tab 80 are adapted anddimensioned for positioning them between user's lips for comfortablydrinking therethrough. Reclosable tab 80 is adapted for allowing a userto open or close drink-through opening 90 by respectively pulling orpushing tab front wall 82 away from or against sealing edge 64. Tabfront wall 82 and arcuate tab end 83 are also suitably dimensioned toallow a user to manipulate them with his/her thumb or finger. A featureof the reclosable tab 80 is that it is flexible enough to allows a userto close the drink-through opening 90 by pushing on tab front wall 82;yet it is resilient enough to prevent a user from accidentally orinadvertently closing it while the user is drinking therethrough. Theheight of the tab 80 in one embodiment extends slightly above the heightof the raised front section 65 thereby allowing the user to easilymanipulate the tab 80.

The inner sidewall 63 of the interim annual portion 60 is connected tothe central body portion 70 of lid 10 via mid wall 72. Mid wall 72 mayalso include a centrally located vent hole 74. Vent hole 74 is adaptedfor maintaining pressure equilibrium between the interior of the liddedcup and the surroundings to allow the user to comfortably drink from thecup. Vent hole 74 may further serve as a drain hole for any excessbeverage that accidentally overflows on the top of central body portion70.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, lid 10 is made by theprocess of injection molding. However, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that lid 10 can be adapted for manufacture by otherknown methods of processing plastics. Preferably, lid 10 is made of asuitable thermoplastic material which can be processed by common polymerprocessing methods known in the art. The choice of a thermoplastic resinis typically governed by a variety of factors including cost, resinprocessability and other functional requirements of the plastic part. Inone embodiment of the invention, lid 10 is made from a suitable grade ofpolypropylene resin that features living-hinge properties for optimalfunctioning and sustained operation of the integral reclosable tab 80.

Numerous other embodiments are possible and within the scope of theinvention. For example, although various general functional elements oflid 10 and particularly reclosable tab 80 have been described herein inconjunction with FIGS. 1 through 7, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that numerous shape, appearance and designmodifications can be made to lid 10 and reclosable tab 80 in accordancewith user and market preferences. Furthermore, the utility of thereclosable spout integrated within lid 10 is not necessarily limited toa drinking-cup lid and can be implemented into other containerstructures such as a closure for a bottle, a pour spout for a bottle ora carton or a cup. These and other such changes, modifications,adaptations and alterations in the specifically described embodimentscan be carried out without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the drawing and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

1. A plastic lid for a drink cup comprising: a peripheral rim adaptedfor engaging with said drink cup; a reclosable tab adapted foralternating between an open position and a closed position through anintegral hinge; and wherein said reclosable tab is adapted to define adrink-through opening in said open position and to close saiddrink-through opening in said closed position.
 2. The plastic lidaccording to claim 1, wherein said reclosable tab is substantiallyupright and can be closed by a user, from said open position to saidclosed position, by moving said reclosable tab against a dependingsurface.
 3. The plastic lid according to claim 2, wherein saidreclosable tab can be pulled open by said user, from said closedposition to said open position, by moving said reclosable tab away fromsaid depending surface.
 4. The plastic lid according to claim 2, whereinsaid depending surface is arcuate.
 5. The plastic lid according to claim1, wherein at least one of said reclosable tab and said integral hingeis arcuate.
 6. The plastic lid according to claim 1, wherein saidreclosable tab in said closed position renders said plastic lidsubstantially leak resistant.
 7. The plastic lid according to claim 1,wherein said plastic lid is injection molded with said reclosable tab inone of said open position and said closed position.
 8. The plastic lidaccording to claim 1, wherein said plastic lid contains Polypropylene.9. A plastic lid for a drink cup comprising: a peripheral recess aboutsaid lid for engaging with said drink cup; a reclosable spout on saidlid comprising a moveable tab, an integral hinge and a sealing surfacewherein said movable tab is able to alternate between an open positionand a closed position about said integral hinge, wherien said moveabletab in said open position creates a drink-through opening for allowing auser to drink from said drink cup without removing said plastic lid fromsaid drink cup; and wherein said moveable tab in said closed positionrests against said sealing surface and closes said drink-throughopening.
 10. The plastic lid according to claim 9, wherein saidreclosable spout in said closed position is substantially leakresistant.
 11. A plastic lid comprising: a peripheral mounting portionfor engaging with the upper rim of a drinking cup; a raised frontalportion extending upwardly from said peripheral mounting portion; acentral body portion having a central wall; said raised frontal portionhaving a reclosable tab, an integral hinge and a sealing edge; whereinsaid reclosable tab is moveable between a first position and a secondposition; said first position being defined by said reclosable tab beingdisposed away from said sealing edge and said second position beingdefined by said reclosable tab being disposed against said sealing edge;and wherein, said reclosable tab and said sealing edge cooperativelydefine a drink-through opening in said first position; saiddrink-through opening being substantially closed in said secondposition.
 12. The lid according to claim 11, wherein said reclosable tabis arcuate and flares radially outwardly from said central body portionin said first position.
 13. The lid according to claim 11, wherein saidreclosable tab is arcuate and bends radially inwardly towards saidcentral body portion in said second position.
 14. The lid according toclaim 11, wherein said lid is produced primarily from a polypropyleneresin.
 15. The lid according to claim 11, wherein said sealing edge ismade from an elastomeric material.
 16. A reclosable spout, comprising: amoveable tab, a depending surface, and an integral hinge, wherein saidmoveable tab is adapted for moving about said integral hinge between afirst position and a second position; and wherein said moveable tab, insaid first position, is positioned away from said depending surface anddefines an opening; and said moveable tab, in said second position, ispositioned against said depending surface to close said opening.
 17. Thereclosable spout according to claim 16, wherein said reclosable spout isintegrally incorporated into a lid for use with a drinking cup, andwherein said opening is adapted for drinking from said cup.
 18. Thereclosable spout according to claim 16, wherein said moveable tab isoriented in a generally upright direction in said first position. 19.The reclosable spout according to claim 16, wherein said integral hingeis arcuate.
 20. The reclosable spout according to claim 16, wherein saidintegral hinge is a living hinge and wherein said living hinge is madeprimarily from a polypropylene resin.